Chappell Roan has had a truly meteoric rise to fame throughout the past year. After spending years tirelessly working to create and promote her music, the campy, sparkly and unabashedly unique pop star has seen several hits this year, including her newest single, “Good Luck, Babe,” which has spent 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 4. This past week, she even claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Artist 100, exactly one year after releasing her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” However, her rise has not been easy for the singer, who has had to cancel a number of events and set strict boundaries with fans interacting with her. This has thrown her into much controversy, with some detractors even questioning if she deserves her fame at all.
Roan recently pulled out of All Things Go, a festival that was supposed to take place this past weekend, citing poor mental health and immense pressure. This statement came just days after Roan was criticized for a TikTok she made stating that while she will be voting for Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election, she does not particularly like either candidate and feels as though work still needs to be done. She has received an immense amount of backlash for this statement, as well as another series of TikToks she made a few months prior asking people to leave her alone in public.
Villainizing Roan for taking care of her mental health is frankly ludicrous. Of course, it is understandable to be disappointed that the artist you bought tickets to see will not be performing, but taking it out on her is only going to create a harsh cycle of online abuse, leading to stars feeling even worse and canceling more shows. Roan has opened up about her diagnoses of depression and bipolar disorder, which have only worsened with fame. It is reasonable to be disappointed about the lack of notice given, but health issues can simply not be scheduled. When Lewis Capaldi canceled his 2023 world tour after his Tourette syndrome prevented him from performing, he was given much sympathy from fans and the general public. For a generation so focused on holding mental health to the same importance as physical health, it is frankly hypocritical to not give Roan the same grace.
Adjusting to the spotlight almost overnight is difficult for anyone, but especially someone with Roan’s conditions. There have been horror stories of celebrities suffering from the public treating them as something other than human. Justin Bieber, who rose to fame at a very young age, has talked about how the experience made him suicidal. He turned to drugs under the negative attention and was so addicted that a team of security would have to check his pulse every night to make sure he was still breathing. The pain Bieber experienced from hateful comments affected him to the point where he almost lost his life.
All of this to say, it is so important to remember that there is a real person behind the Chappell Roan persona. Underneath the glitter and lashes, there is a girl from the Midwest doing her best to succeed at her job, just like any of us. We have all had sick days, whether it be for physical ailments or days where our mental states were so bad we just couldn’t get out of bed. The sooner we give Roan the same grace we give any regular person, the sooner we can end this toxic, parasocial culture that has driven celebrities to madness.